A Friendly Visitor

It has been busy times for us recently, so now we have much catching up to do. To begin, in mid-March our good friend Shannon came to visit us all the way from Denver. She was here for 12 days, during which we packed in as many 'Aussie' experiences as we could - it was great fun for us to show her the things we like so much about living here! It turned out to be a very rounded experience - nature and wildlife, city life, culture and arts, sport (watching and participating), food and wine (and beer), and even a little time to relax and catch up on life.

The day Shannon arrived we dragged her down to Frankston to see a Cat Empire concert - we just couldn't pass up an opportunity to see our favourite Aussie band live again! Then that weekend we headed down the Great Ocean Road to see the koalas and try our hands at surfing. Shannon was great, a real natural on the surfboard! Josh also enjoyed his time riding the waves, but unfortunately Kristi wasn't quite as coordinated and spent more time under the water than on top of it! But she did manage to get upright a time or two, much to the relief of the instructor. To finish up the weekend we headed back to Melbourne so Josh and Shannon could race in the Gatorate Sprint Triathlon in St. Kilda. It was the last race of the series for this year, and was the largest race to date. Shannon wasn't looking forward to swimming with the ocean fishies, and only afterward learned a shark had been spotted in the bay a week earlier, but she made it out alive and relieved to get on with the race (fortunately she didn't see all of the jellies that Josh got to see during his swim!) Overall it was a beautiful day and they both raced well!

During the week Shannon took in many of the sites of Melbourne. She and Kristi had great fun touring the Carlton Brewery, going on a Chocoholics tour of the Melbourne laneways, getting a fill of art at the NGV and ACCA, taking in the day and night views from the Rialto Tower, wandering around the city, and heading to Philip Island to see the fairy penguins. We also were fortunate to get tickets to the AFL season opener - Tigers vs. Blues. It was a sell-out game so the vibe in the MCG was amazing! Unfortunately the Tigers didn't live up to our expectations, but Shannon was happy to have sided with the Blues early in the match and she cheered them to a massive victory. Shannon also found some time to take a swim at MSAC and a bikeride down Beach Road, and she spent a day on a winery tour in the Yarra Valley.
For Shannon's final weekend in Australia, which was also her birthday weekend, we headed up to Sydney for three days. Again we saw all the sights we could fit in - we did the Bridge Climb at night which gave spectacular views of the city all lit up; we went to the Aquarium, Powerhouse Museum, and Chinese Friendship Gardens; we toured the Opera House, walked through the Botanical Gardens, and enjoyed people watching around Circular Quay; we found a new artist that we all loved at the Museum of Contemporary Art - Yayoi Kusama; we took in views of the city from the Pylon Museum and then rode the ferry to Manly for dinner and a beautiful walk; we watched the lights of Sydney disappear for Earth Hour as we enjoyed a bottle of wine and beautiful chocolate at Guylians; we rode mountain bikes through Olympic Park, swam in the Olympic pool, and took a tour of the Olympic stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies took place; we invested in some amazing artwork before heading to the airport; and in the end we were very, very tired - but happy!

To celebrate new experiences, fond memories and good friends, we enjoyed a final meal at Tjanabi in Fed Square before Shannon headed back State-side. The restaurant specialises in meals focused around native and local produce and game so we were able to try crocodile, eel, kangaroo, wallaby, quandong, and Kakadu plums - and surprisingly we liked them all! It was a great end to the visit!